


Quiet

by fliick



Category: No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-03-08 01:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18885160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fliick/pseuds/fliick
Summary: Nezumi. That was the name of the tall, dark-haired student with silver eyes that Shion spent far too long observing in class.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> heya here's more no. 6 because i love these two a whole lot  
> i kind of want to continue this since i still have some ideas for it, so let me know what you think! :D
> 
> i also did a quick skim over this for errors and such so hopefully there aren't any typos or anything, here's crossing my fingers  
> the title is subject to change, i'm still very bad at choosing titles for my fics

Nezumi. That was the name of the tall, dark-haired student with silver eyes that Shion spent far too long observing in class.

Shion had had class with Nezumi for the entirety of high school now. They were fast approaching their senior year, and not once had Shion actually directly spoke to Nezumi.  
He knew minimal knowledge on Nezumi: Nezumi was a theatre kid, but despite most theatre kids being outgoing and loud, he was quiet and rarely talked to others unless he had to. When he did open his mouth, he tended to be snarky and sarcastic, especially to those who openly disliked him. His teachers either adored him or absolutely despised him, there was no in-between. They either loved Nezumi’s laid-back, quiet attitude or abhorred his “I’ll do it later” work ethic.

Shion hadn’t meant to spend hours of class staring at Nezumi, but something about him always drew Shion’s eyes. Nezumi was such an interesting and elegant and pretty person, and Shion couldn’t help but watch. Shion sat about two rows back and one row to the left of Nezumi. There was a window to Shion’s left that overlooked the track field, but his eyes were always trained on Nezumi.  
Nezumi often gazed off during class. His gray eyes always seemed far, and only came back to the present when the bell rang. Shion loved watching and wondering what was going on in Nezumi’s mind.

A couple times, when returning to his seat, Nezumi had caught Shion’s gaze. Nezumi’s stone cold eyes always glared right through him, and Shion tried his best to avoid his stare. As far as he knew, Nezumi didn’t actively hate him or anything, but he imagined it was a little off-putting that he kept staring at him.  
The two never spoke, though. Despite having classes together for two years, Shion wasn’t even sure if Nezumi knew his name. Nezumi didn’t really seem like the type to hold on to names.

 

The bell rang, and Nezumi began to rise from his seat. Shion snapped back from his daze and pulled his eyes from Nezumi’s back and closed his blank notebook. It was a wonder his grades weren’t falling like crazy, he thought absently to himself.  
“Shion, are you heading home?”  
Shion looked up to see his friend, Safu, leaning towards him with a grin on her face.  
Shion smiled and shook his head. “I’m stopping by the library. Gonna do some reading and studying. I’ll be a while, so sorry I can’t walk with you or anything,” he said lightly, gathering his things from his desk and carefully putting them in his messenger bag.  
Safu shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “Figures. I think you spend more time at the library than you do at home” she said with a chuckle, following as he walked out of the classroom. “Mind grabbing a book for me for my English class, since you’re going?”  
“What can I say? I love books,” Shion laughed softly. _That, and,_ Shion thought to himself, _I’ve had to do a little extra work for a while now, since I get so distracted in class._ He continued, “Sure. What book?”  
“Romeo and Juliet.”

 

Shion saw his friend off in the hallway. She lent him her notebook for his notes and then skipped down the hall, stopping sometime at the end of the corridor to talk to a couple of her friends. He and Safu had been friends since they were kids, and he valued her friendship greatly. Aside from Safu, Shion didn’t really have any other friends or people he hung out with, so he was grateful to have at least one person who chose to befriend him. Safe never introduced him to her friends, so he never asked about them. He was happy enough that she had other people to be around, but always felt a little strange that she kept him separate from her other friends.

Shion entered the library quietly. He browsed the shelves of books for a while before he sat down at a table. He always loved the atmosphere of the library - silent, save for the occasional turning of a page, whispers of chatter, or the soft tapping of a keyboard from the front desk. There was just something about it all that put him at ease instantly.  
He took out his notebook and Safu’s, and began copying down notes. After a few minutes of focusing on his notes, he lifted his head and looked around the library for a break. His neck was starting to hurt from keeping it down, and he stretched his neck from side to side.

Just as he was about to return to his notes, his eyes caught on slate hair and silver eyes. He was sitting only a couple seats down from Shion, his eyes moving back and forth between the pages of a book whose title Shion couldn’t read from where he sat.  
Shion occasionally saw Nezumi in the library. He would either sit down and read or would disappear into the back of the library browsing books. Often times, Nezumi would stay at the back of the library the entire time Shion was in the library, and Shion wondered what he was looking at back there.  
Shion usually didn’t venture to the back of the library - none of the books he was particularly interested in were back there, from what he knew. But he wondered what types of books Nezumi was so interested in that he hung around back there for such a long time.

Shion hadn’t even realized he was still staring until Nezumi glanced up and locked eyes with him. Shion immediately retracted, yanking his eyes back down to his notebook, his face heating up. He couldn’t tell if Nezumi was looking at him, but he didn't dare lift his head to check. He spent the next thirty minutes fervently focusing on copying his notes and trying to cool his face down.  
Once he had finished copying the notes, he leaned back in his chair and delicately risked a glance in Nezumi’s direction, only to see that Nezumi had left. Something in Shion almost felt disappointed, but he shook it away and instead focused on feeling relieved.  
He stood up, stretched his arms over his head, and stuffed the notebooks in his backpack.  
As he went to leave, he suddenly remembered the book Safu had asked him to get. He swung back around to the counter, where the student librarian lifted his head.

“Looking for a book?” the librarian asked helpfully, his fingers at the ready at his computer’s keyboard. _His name is… Junta? Jun?_ Shion tried to recall, but couldn’t quite remember.  
“Romeo and Juliet,” Shion replied with a smile.  
The librarian typed at the computer for a moment before replying, “Oh, yeah. That book’s been out for a while now… it’s way overdue.” He uttered the last part with irritation.  
Shion was in the process of standing up from his “thank you anyways” bow when an arm wrapped across his shoulders and a book was shoved in his face. Shion blinked in confusion before his eyes focused and recognized the book in question.  
“This what you’re looking for?”  
Shion stiffened as he recognized the voice almost immediately. Even though he seldom talked, Shion had engraved the sound of his voice into his mind. Low and smooth, but with a bit of an edge of sarcasm to it every time.  
Shion tilted his head back and caught silver eyes that seemed to smirk at him. He took the book in his hands, and was about to open his mouth to say something, but the librarian beat him to it.

“This book has been overdue for three months! I’ve tried to get you to return it for the past three weeks, but you told me you couldn’t find it every time!” the librarian protested.  
Nezumi shrugged. “Had I known someone was looking for it, I would have looked harder,” he said.  
“I came to you every day asking to return the book!” the librarian said, exasperated. “And besides, you can’t just hand the book off! The book’s checked out under your name, so you have to return it first!”  
Nezumi waved a hand dismissively. “You can see who I’m handing it off to. Just check it out and in yourself, no need to go through formalities.” Nezumi’s grip on Shion’s shoulder tightened a bit as he began pushing him out of the library and into the hall. The librarian was grilling him the entire time, saying it didn’t matter and that he needed to do things properly.  
Shion decided not to tell him he was going to be giving the book to Safu later.

The hallway was empty when Shion was pushed out into it. He held the book close to his chest and almost stumbled when Nezumi pushed past him and began to walk down the hall silently, no longer acknowledging him. Shion followed, wanting to say something, but he was fighting to get the words out. He managed to catch up to walk by Nezumi’s side and finally mustered up the courage to say something.

“Um, thank you, Nezumi!” Shion spat out a bit more forcefully than he had meant to. He tried again, in a softer voice, “Thank you for lending me the book.”  
He caught a glimpse of… some kind of emotion in Nezumi’s eyes. Surprise? Irritation? It was hard to read his face.  
“What?” Shion asked, struggling to keep up with Nezumi’s quickened pace.  
“You remembered my name,” Nezumi mused lowly.  
Shion blinked. It was just natural for him to know Nezumi’s name, wasn’t it? Not only because Shion had been admiring Nezumi, but they had been in class together for years.  
“I’m in class with you every day, you know,” Shion said with a huff. “Roll call and everything.”  
“...You pay attention to roll call?” Nezumi said flatly, throwing an incredulous glance at Shion.  
Shion rolled his eyes. “You don’t know the names of anyone in our class?”  
Nezumi shrugged. “Don’t need to. Putting names to faces means you’re getting attached, which makes you weak,” he said curtly.  
“How very charismatic of you.”

Shion had followed Nezumi to the school’s entrance. Nezumi asked with a quirked eyebrow what he was doing when Shion continued to follow Nezumi down the sidewalk.  
“Am I bothering you?” Shion asked, tilting his head a little.  
Nezumi shrugged and allowed Shion to keep following him, making small talk as they walked.  
At one point, Nezumi sat at a fountain while Shion bought drinks from a vending machine for the two. They sat together in comfortable silence as the sun went down over the city before they continued on their way.  
By the time they reached the train station, it was evening. Nezumi suddenly whipped around, startling Shion.

“I’m not looking to adopt a puppy into my home,” Nezumi said, crossing his arms. His look wasn’t quite hostile, but it wasn’t inviting or friendly either.  
Shion blinked. “I wasn’t planning on following you home. I just wanted to hang out with you,” he said.  
“What? Why?” Nezumi asked with genuine confusion.  
Shion had definitely asked himself that plenty of times. Why _was_ he so drawn to Nezumi? He had been like this for years, but he could never explain it, even when Safu had asked about it. She had half-joked that he was gay and just in love with Nezumi, which Shion had frantically denied. He didn’t have a word for his emotions, he was just enthralled by Nezumi and the presence around him.  
His pondering must have shown on his face, because Nezumi suddenly scoffed with a smirk.  
“Well, you get back to me when you figure that out, Shion.”  
Nezumi gave Shion’s hair a rough ruffle before turning on his heels toward the station. Shion silently watched him leave, trying to force more words out, for fear that by tomorrow, things would resume like normal and they’d be back to never speaking to each other.  
But nothing came out, and Nezumi disappeared in the crowd without a word.

It wasn’t until Shion was sitting at his desk that night - trying desperately to focus on studying but instead thinking about the events from earlier - that he realized Nezumi had said his name.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shion. That was the name of the quiet, brown-haired student with matching brown eyes that stared at him for hours on end during class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy pride month have some gays  
> this fic is fun because i have scenes in my head for it but nothing in between so i have to come up with stuff to fill the spaces between the scenes i wanna write :"D  
> i also know shion's eyes are like purple or smth in the novels but i think brown-eye shion is more universally known so that's what i went with  
> this chapter is a bit shorter than the last but thats okay

Shion. That was the name of the quiet, brown-haired student with matching brown eyes that stared at him for hours on end during class.

Nezumi couldn’t remember when he learned the name, or when he started even caring about the name. _Aster_. It meant patience, or something along the lines of that.  
Throughout high school, Nezumi had mostly ignored the boy, but he would catch glances of him every now and then. He knew of Shion watching him throughout class, but Shion seemed to think he was doing it in secret.

It wasn’t so much that it bothered Nezumi, though. At first, he had thought Shion was glaring at him and trying to pick a fight but learned throughout the year that Shion was about as aggressive as a puppy. No, it didn’t bother Nezumi that Shion stared at him all the time, he was just curious as to _why_ Shion had such an interest in him. Even the night that Shion had followed him around town and admitted he wanted to spend time with Nezumi, Shion himself couldn’t find an answer to why he was so fixated on him. Not knowing the answer himself only frustrated Nezumi because it was so nonsensical.  
Nezumi had not once paid any mind to Shion in the years they’d shared a classroom, so why was Shion so bent on him?

 

The bell rang, and broke Nezumi out of his thoughts. A couple days had passed after their night out together. After that night, things went back to normal in class; Nezumi stopped paying attention to the lesson, and out of the corner of his eye, Shion would watch him intently.  
Nezumi looked down at his blank notebook. He somehow managed to keep his head afloat with his grades, despite rarely ever being mentally present during lessons.  
He stood up, sloppily shoving his notebook and pencil into his backpack and sliding out of the classroom to head to the library.  
Behind him, he could recognize Shion’s voice talking to the girl with a pink scarf that often hung around him. Something about a book? He recalled giving _Romeo and Juliet_ to Shion a couple days prior. He wondered if that had to do with their conversation, but Nezumi didn’t stick around long enough to pay attention.

The library was the only place in school that Nezumi really tolerated. It was quiet by nature and the back of the library had a practically unused reading nook, where all the classical literature was stored. All of the more modern teen books were at the front of the library, so that’s where most students lingered. Which meant the nook was all Nezumi’s for the most part, aside from one or two students who would begrudgingly make their way back to find a classical lit book for their English class. Whenever they did, they hardly gave Nezumi a glance as they grabbed whatever book they were required and left without a word.

Nezumi tossed his backpack onto the floor by a large window, grabbed _Pride and Prejudice_ , and settled down in one of the two chairs sitting in the middle of the bookshelves.  
His eyes scanned the individual words on the pages, but his mind was wandering back to Shion again.  
The only person Shion ever seemed to hang out with was the girl with the pink scarf, and even then, she often had other friends she talked with. He wondered if Shion was just itching for a friend, though with senior year right around the corner, it seemed useless to suddenly try to make friends with a stranger so late in the year.  
And it wasn’t like Shion was an uncharismatic person, like Nezumi. From what little information Nezumi had on Shion, the boy was seemingly friendly, if a little airheaded. It wouldn’t be hard for Shion to make friends with literally anyone else in their class. Of all their classmates, Shion chose to talk to the one guy who had made it vastly clear he wasn’t interested in getting to know anyone? Nezumi felt like he would never understand the boy.

Nezumi typically couldn’t stand being around others. It was too easy to get attached, and he followed a strict policy of not getting attached to people who would likely drag him down. Having someone he cared about meant he had a weakness, and he avoided that at all costs. But Shion’s face often found his way into his head when he was trying to focus on anything _but_ that. Attachment. He swallowed a feeling of dread.

 

As if on cue, a head of brown hair peeked his way around the corner and into the nook Nezumi was quietly sitting in.  
“Speak of the devil,” Nezumi accidentally let slip out of his mouth as Shion rounded the corner.  
“Huh?”  
Nezumi stood up, setting the book he was reading on the small table next to the chair. He shook his head and waved a hand dismissively.  
“No, nothing. What do you want?” he asked curtly. While admittedly, he didn’t really mind Shion’s presence, the fact that Shion had just invaded his little secret private space in the library so nonchalantly left him feeling a little offended.  
Shion wasn’t even looking at him. His eyes scanned the nook with wonder and awe, a stupid little smile hanging on his lips.  
“I’ve never been back here. How did I not know this little place existed?” Shion mumbled. Nezumi wasn’t sure Shion was talking to him or not.  
“Most people don’t care for literature unless their class requires them to,” Nezumi explained, stepping out of the way as Shion approached a bookshelf he stood in front of.  
“What a shame,” Shion said absently as he looked over the books.  
“Looking for something?” Nezumi asked flatly. He watched quietly as Shion ran a finger across a row of books.

Shion finally backed up and looked at Nezumi. He shrugged, that silly grin still on his face. “Nah. But there’s quite a collection back here.”  
“You like classic literature?” Nezumi asked, picking up _Pride and Prejudice_ from the table and showing it to Shion.  
Shion shrugged again. “Sure,” he said thoughtfully. “I mean, I don’t know many. I’d love to read more.”  
Nezumi sneered playfully. “How do you know you like it if you haven’t read many? Can someone like you even appreciate something like classic literature? You sure you’re not just here for a class assignment? What did you really come for?” He asked the final question with a raise of his eyebrow and Shion’s face reddened.  
“O-of course I can appreciate it! You’re just mad that you think I’m encroaching on your space. The books don’t belong to only you, Nezumi. It’s possible for us to share interests,” Shion said defensively. He crossed his arms and pouted. Nezumi would almost think it was cute, if the tone of voice hadn’t irritated him so much.  
Shion continued, “And besides, you’re not the only one who likes how quiet it is back here. Maybe I want to use the nook too.”  
“What makes you think I want to share it with you? This has been my area for the past couple of years, you can’t just invite yourself in.”  
“You’re just being petty now! The library is open to everyone, you can’t just rope off a section because you want it for yourself. I really do want to read these books!”

Nezumi took a large step towards Shion, who instinctively stepped back. He took another step until Shion’s back hit a standing bookshelf.  
Nezumi smirked, leaning down a little so their eyes were level. “Alright, little prince, if you’re so ecstatic to read classical literature, recite something to me by the end of the week and maybe I’ll consider sharing this nook with you.”  
“I’m not-!” Shion stopped himself, though. He met Nezumi’s hard gaze with an equally fierce glare that made Nezumi want to laugh out loud. Shion finally inhaled sharply and grumbled, “Fine! By the end of the week, then!”  
Nezumi let up on him. He had only been teasing; he wasn’t expecting Shion to actually take the challenge. He went to let Shion know that he wasn’t serious, when Shion pressed against the bookshelf behind him in order to push himself forward.

Shion then stumbled backwards, the standing bookshelf he was leaning against toppled, and Shion reached out and snatched the collar of Nezumi’s uniform, taking Nezumi down with him.  
They landed with a huge thud over the bookshelf awkwardly. Nezumi had landed on top of Shion and for a moment, he worried he might have seriously injured the smaller boy. He rolled over into a pile of books and looked over Shion, who blinked as he took in what had happened.  
“Whoops.”  
“Hey, why the hell did I go down with you?!” Nezumi grumbled, rubbing his backside. “Are you okay, Shion?”  
“I just grabbed at whatever I could,” Shion answered, kneading his shoulder.  
Nezumi had noticed the commotion had drawn the attention of the other students in the front of the library, as well as the student librarian. Student were looking back from the tables they sat at, some were whispering to each other and laughing. The student librarian rose from his seat at the front counter.  
“ _What_ are you two doing?!” the librarian called, exasperated.

The two spent the rest of the afternoon picking up the mess they had made. They more or less did it in silence, save for Nezumi chastising him every time Shion picked up a book and began flipping through it instead of putting it back on the shelf. After they had cleaned up the nook, Shion assured Nezumi that he planned on taking Nezumi’s challenge seriously before he grabbed an armful of books, checked them out from the squabbling librarian, and left the library.  
He was about to think how endearing it was, but caught himself. _Shit. I’m in big trouble_ , he thought to himself, irritated.

Nezumi was laying in bed that night, his back still sore from the fall, when he bitterly realized he was looking forward to the end of the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually put both these chapters on one document (i usually make new docs for new chapters) and it gives the illusion i wrote more than i rlly did  
> anyway im having fun with this so ill keep writing it until im tired of it  
> thank you for the support on my nezushi fics it makes me so happy you have no idea

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not actually too happy with how i wrote this, but also my better ideas for this fic would be in potential later chapters  
> i know the no. 6 fandom is kinda quiet (haha) and small right now, but the comments on my last nezushi fic really made me smile, so i hope to continue feeding this fandom because man i want content for these two


End file.
